Sick
2 shorthanded goals for the Rangers on the same PK ties it up.
2 shorthanded goals for the Rangers on the same PK ties it up.
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***Official 2013/2014 NHL Regular Season Thread*** (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter tom22406
- Start date
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Amazing turnaround. Rags were comatose until Toronto's PP.
Loved Hagelin dangling in on Bernier, has a clear shot, but instead passes it twenty feet behind him to nobody in particular.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Caps just don't have it tonight.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Holtby pulled.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
The problem Detroit has a lot of nights is that these young guys can't play Babcock's system and the margin for error is too small. They can't protect leads, they have trouble in their own zone a lot, and Kronwall and Ericsson even look uncomfortable with all the forwards out of position. I like the youth movement and Andersson, Sheahan, Tatar, Glendenning, and especially Nyquist have been been great. DeKeyser is hit or miss, but he's further along than Smith and Kindl already.
They are missing 1100 faceoff draws between Z and Datsyuk right now, Franzen and Andersson are their best guys so Legwand becomes their #1 immediately. He also plays a close to the vest defensive game, has some scoring ability, and he's motivated entering free agency. As long as they didn't trade Nyquist, Mantha or Tatar I was fine with it. Would have been nice to get Vanek but they need a two-way forward more than they need scoring, Datsyuk and Zetterberg are top five defensive forwards, it's hard to replace that with what you have in-house.
Only thing I don't like about the deal is the 3rd rounder turns into a second rounder if Detroit makes the playoffs, I hate that kind of clause as I mentioned earlier.
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
The Caps had 6 SOG through the first 39:00 against Philly. I didn't think that was possible.
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Uh oh, Flyers.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
We have a game.
Northern Voice
Footballguy
As Kessel sits 2nd in NHL scoring, this is a pretty good reminder of how awful Toronto sports media often is.
http://theleafsnation.com/2013/10/30/the-phil-kessel-bus-tossing-database
http://theleafsnation.com/2013/10/30/the-phil-kessel-bus-tossing-database
sporthenry
Footballguy
Never a doubt. Caps/Flyers series might rival Pens/Flyers with fighting, scoring and general dislike
glvsav37
Footballguy
This
Islander fan rant here:
IMO, the whole Vanek experiment was a mistake. I could see how in Snow's wildest dreams, he could have this chip that either A) Signs long term and we finally have some solid production/sat power. B) is traded on his great success and we fill a few sorely needed holes
Too bad neither of that happened, and we paid a high price to fail. The team sucked worse after the trade and dropped in the standings like a rock.
I think that Snow got greedy when it was given we had to trade him. Offers were there, but the pressure to flip him for better value then we lost made Snow hold out for more. As we got closer and closer to the deadline, and Snow pressed from more and more...the other teams looked elsewhere to spend their $$ and it left Snow with only a very few teams left to negotiate with. With that, they each looked at him, pointed at the clock and said "tough $h!t, take what we are offering or kick rocks. We know you have to make a deal"
And that how we ended up with a conditional 2nd rd pick and a 9 pts-in-40-games 'prospect' that no one has ever heard of over in Switzerland posting 30 minutes after the official deadline past. If anyone really thinks that this kid was on Snow's radar from the get go, then they are crazy and need to be kicked in the nuts repeatedly.
I'm afraid this is the nail in the coffin. If Snow/Cappy are not fired at season's end then any hopes of selling a single game ticket next year are slim at best. It will cause a hole that not even a move to the new building will fill for a very very long time. The disgust level I saw today was amazing. For 6+ hours after the announcement #SnowMustGo was trending on Twitter.
I myself are pissed. I was glued to the NHL channel on XM all day. Listening to team after team making huge trades. And after each one, the announcers kept saying "OK, now what about Vanek. He's the big name out there." As a fan that has had lived through nobodys and no-namers for years, it was actually exciting to hear my team discussed so highly. And then...this...nothing...from potential prom king to the pimple faced kid in the corner without a date--AGAIN! From waiting with baited breath, to laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.
Its sickening.
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Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Shootout time in Anaheim.
pretty nice debut for Tokarski tonight.
Dubnyk not needed there either probably.
Dubnyk not needed there either probably.
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Raider Nation
Devil's Advocate
Wow, is that a goal?
Dickie Dunn
Footballguy
The Halak jersey is going to be the Honus Wagner of game-worn memorabilia.Bill Brasky said:Aaron Rudnicki said:
Billy Bats
Footballguy
Jekyll and Hyde shows up again. We could tell they were in trouble at 4-0 when they were more concerned with getting Giroux his hat trick instead of putting the game away. Doesn't help that Downie keeps getting regular minutes and doing his thing taking extremely dumb penalties letting them score more PP goals. And then of course Chief has him running around out there protecting a one goal lead in the final minutes. Mind boggling. A guy like Raffl who does everything right is stuck on the 4th line while Downie runs amuck is just as confusing as Gustafsson sitting in the press box night after night.
Anyway after all that whining they're 7-1 in their last eight, just doesn't seem like it with their up and down play. And that Giroux guy is pretty ####### good, up to 23 goals and 64 points(5th overall) after going goalless in his first 15.
Reaper
Footballguy
They had a weak defense and lost Visnosky which was a death blow to a team with no depth ready for the NHL... Really played Decent hockey IMO much of the year and just couldn't close out games - IMO Viz was a huge part of that.
But, really "Mess" to me is as simple as SPEND ####'n MONEY.....
What the Isles have what some other teams I follow do not is Flexibility.... This is not the NY Knicks saddled with massivly bad deals and old players that can't be moved, a team that spends but, poorly - Or the Ny Mets, same deal - Spend like a contender and still lose....
Really how different or far off are they from last years team that ppl thought showed promise??? Basically a loss of Moulson who was gone anyway and a 1st round pick next year.....
And as for Spending money - if you step back and look at it, Snow tried... I bet any of us would have tried the same thing given the budget contraints - Throw your ballz on the line and take a chance that Venek will love NY and teaming up with Tavares....
At some point the optimism comes from expecting a team, especially a NY team moving to a new Arena, has to SPEND....
The flip side is you need to find the right talent and proper deals to spend it on..... Vanek was a shot at that - Get him on board - look to sign the next big FA, bring up some kids and your in business....
That's one thing I'll give Garth...... The guy has to work with the lowest salary in the league and IF they are ready to spend, who did they miss out on that that didn't go after yet? - I expect them to make a push to sign players - They owe that to everyone involved, especially Tavares.
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Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
NHL Network tonightAt last, Nicklas Lidstrom is showing signs of imperfection. Nearly two years into retirement, he has become a house husband, an attender of charity lunches and a man who leaves dirty laundry scattered around his pristine homestead.
Maybe it’s returning to his native Sweden that has caused this breakdown, maybe it’s the lack of the daily routine — no more getting up, getting in a car with best friend Tomas Holmstrom, carpool to the Joe, practice, play, home.
Lidstrom, 44 next month, has done one thing perfectly since pulling the curtain down on a glorious hockey careerin 2012, and that is make the right decision. No coming-out-of-retirement drama for this peerless pro: Nowadays, he is fulfilled helping his second-youngest son, Samuel, and his hockey team back in Vasteras, Sweden.
Lidstrom will be back at Joe Louis Arena this week to see his number soar to the rafters because no one else should ever wear it for the Detroit Red Wings. No player could possibly surpass, or even pass, playing in a No. 5 Wings sweater after Lidstrom, who from his first NHL shift in 1991 through his final one in 2012, played his way into history. He is regarded as one of the best to ever play hockey, as one of the top-three defensemen of all time, as positionally brilliant.
“He’s Roger Federer,” former teammate and Wings great Steve Yzerman said. “He’s graceful, and because they’re so technically sound, it looks effortless at times for them.
“You can ask anyone who played with him, anyone who coached him, anyone who knew him — Nick was the most low-maintenance player in the history of the game.”
Opposing superstar forwards and opposing coaches regularly lamented that Lidstrom was always where he was supposed to be, impossible to lure into a big hit, immune to being fazed.
“He played the game in a rocking chair,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “He made it look so easy
Lidstrom will be a first-ballot entry into the Hockey Hall of Fame next year. Retiring his number was postponed until this season because the Wings didn’t want to rush the event into last season’s lockout shortened mess of a schedule. Lidstrom will join Steve Yzerman’s 19, Gordie Howe’s 9, Sid Abel’s 12, Ted Lindsay’s 7, Alex Delvecchio’s 10 and Terry Sawchuk’s 1, a legends row of banners.
Lidstrom will have his wife, Annika, and their sons, Kevin 19, Adam 18, Samuel, 13, and Lucas, 10, as well as Lidstrom’s parents and in-laws, at the event. “It’s going to be very special to share this with my family,” he said in a phone interview last week. “We’ve been looking forward to it for a while.”
Lidstrom returned to live among his extended family in Sweden weeks after retiring. He and his wife never were in doubt about where their roots sprung and were they would settle after Lidstrom’s career ended; they insisted their sons speak Swedish at home to offset their Americanization.
Lidstrom and his wife have spent the past year building a perfect home in Vasteras, where Lidstrom played as a teenager and fell in love. He and Annika were in on every detail of the home by Lake Malaren, including a pool that cozies right up to the lake.
“We’ve been building a house that took us a year, that took the first year we were back here in Sweden to just design,” he said. “There were a lot of decisions to be made that took a lot of my time. It’s been a lot of fun
Lidstrom spoke on his way home from a charity luncheon, part of his work as a sort-of goodwill ambassador for all. He has done some commercials for a clothing line, served as a spokesman for Sweden during the World Championships and has watched some hockey games alongside Wings scout Hakan Andersson. Mostly, Lidstrom’s love of hockey is nourished by the love of his sons.
“All four of them play,” he said, “so that’s a lot of fun for me. It’s nice to be able to see their games. I help out with Samuel’s team, and the kids really are a lot of fun. In their spare time, they all want to go to open skates and be on the ice with their friends and play pickup hockey. They’re very hungry to learn
The kids know who the slender, blond, seemingly ageless man on the ice with them is and often ask Lidstrom what he would have done in game situations.
As Yzerman would tell them, Lidstrom did everything, especially during the back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 1997-98.
“He played so many minutes in all situations, and did everything right,” Yzerman said. “From the first time I saw him play, I knew he was something special. He looked like a 10-year veteran when he was 21 years old. He had a lot of great attributes, and one of them was the intelligence to step in right away and look at home.” What Lidstrom did as a hockey player isn’t really teachable; he had a talent like no other. He approached hockey like it was chess, and he was Boris Spassky.
If an opponent tried to fire the puck into Detroit’s zone, Lidstrom would be there at the blue line, batting the puck out of the air, sending it back into the neutral zone, thanks to incredible hand-to-eye coordination. He never rushed the puck when a pass could get the job
“There was no panic whatsoever in his game,” Holland said, “and it was like that for 20 years.”
It was his performance on the ice coupled with his humility off the ice that earned Lidstrom the moniker the Perfect Human from teammates.
He was never a modified last-name nickname guy in the NHL. He was Nick. Nick the perfect one at everything — at hockey, at manners, at hanging up his own equipment where other stars leave it to locker room personnel. His sense of humor always showed when he’d talk about Holmstrom, his fellow Swede who became a close friend, and who remains so even as Holmstrom lives in suburban Detroit a year after his retirement. The two talk or text at least once a week.
Since retiring, Lidstrom stays in his shape by running and going to the gym and keeping up with his sons. That perfect house was built by the lake because, “I love being on the water, always have,” he said. “I love boating, love tubing. I do a lot of that in the summer now.”
The irony of a professional athlete retiring is that he does so at the latest in his 40s, mere middle age to mortals. Lidstrom is not yet pulling his socks up to his knees, donning cardigans and complaining about today’s youth. If there’s a change, he said, it’s that, “I’m real lazy sometimes, when I feel like being lazy. I leave my clothes just lying around, stuff like that.”
It sounds too good to be true, which really, upon reflection, sounds perfect.
http://www.freep.com/article/20140302/SPORTS05/303020064/detroit-red-wings-nicklas-lidstrom-jersey-retirement
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Reaper
Footballguy
Yeah, I get that about the Draft class and future... I was talking bottom line now though... Still similar picture to where this "Promising" team from last year was....
PPl claimed how promising they were now claim they are a total Dumpster fire...
Reality is, of couse in the middle and bottom line - SPEND LIKE A CONTENDER OR DON"T CONTEND
Bill Brasky
Footballguy
Russo (beat writer) saying it was clear that they were in on him and that (like glvsav said above) Snow held on to his cards too long and got caught. it also sounds like Wild had been talking to the Sabres all day about Moulson as well. looks like Snow was holding too high of a ransom and they moved on to a better deal.
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Bill Brasky
Footballguy
really excited to see this stretch run for the Wild. easily the deepest team they've had in franchise history now with the maturation of Granlund and Coyle. worked through significant injuries and out of one bad stretch earlier in the year, something these teams could never do in the past, and have positioned themselves well for the last quarter. pipeline still strong, future draft picks still in tact, and a young core with vets in their prime locked up. amazing how Fletcher has turned this organization completely around from the disaster Risebrough left in a short amount of time without ever drafting in the top 6.
JaxBill
Footballguy
Yeah, when the Caps scored to make it 4-2 with 15 minutes left, I knew 4 goals wouldn't be enough. Having seen this movie before, I flipped over to The Americans that I was DVRing and watched the beginning of that before turning back to watch them try to hang on at 5-4.Jekyll and Hyde shows up again. We could tell they were in trouble at 4-0 when they were more concerned with getting Giroux his hat trick instead of putting the game away. Doesn't help that Downie keeps getting regular minutes and doing his thing taking extremely dumb penalties letting them score more PP goals. And then of course Chief has him running around out there protecting a one goal lead in the final minutes. Mind boggling. A guy like Raffl who does everything right is stuck on the 4th line while Downie runs amuck is just as confusing as Gustafsson sitting in the press box night after night.
Anyway after all that whining they're 7-1 in their last eight, just doesn't seem like it with their up and down play. And that Giroux guy is pretty ####### good, up to 23 goals and 64 points(5th overall) after going goalless in his first 15.
And Downie's really lucky that his ENG went in or that would have been a total boneheaded blunder.
Yankee23Fan
Fair Tax!
Flyers really tried to give that game away yesterday. As soon as Alex's goal went in we looked at each other and said here we go.
As an aside, I've seen Alex play a few games now. He is just amazing. He looks like he isn't even trying (and I will grant sometimes he isn't). But it's clear he is the best player on the ice when he is out there. And that goal was just perfect.
Flyers are an interesting team. They have the ability to play tough score and stop another team but then they just forget what the hell they are doing on the ice. Weird team.
As an aside, I've seen Alex play a few games now. He is just amazing. He looks like he isn't even trying (and I will grant sometimes he isn't). But it's clear he is the best player on the ice when he is out there. And that goal was just perfect.
Flyers are an interesting team. They have the ability to play tough score and stop another team but then they just forget what the hell they are doing on the ice. Weird team.
AcerFC
Footballguy
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Yes, the draft pick could be the biggest part but who knows on things like that for a few years. Hometown guy means a serious chance of signing on beyond the rental stage & Jamkrok has said he might go back to Sweden either way.
Billy Bats
Footballguy
Surprised Simmonds wasn't tossed for third man in. Not condoning what he did, but if Erskine wanted to fight he should've taken on Simmonds and not the lighter weight VLC. That's probably why Simmonds flipped out on him. Why did they get the game misconducts? Didn't hear a reason for that yet.I'm a fan of how Wayne Simmonds plays but that was a huge ##### move last night holding Erskine while VLC was attempting to fight him and gave him a free shot.
Great defensive effort from both teams in a very entertaining game.One of those two doesn't fit
Billy Bats
Footballguy
You think it's easy tallying up a -23 with 45 goals and 65 pts???? THAT takes some effort!
RUSF18
Footballguy
I don't get why all the other teams went along with that.
That punishment was announced awhile ago. There was no explanation given for changing it?
tom22406
Footballguy
It looked like Erskine was asking Simmonds to dance a few seconds before VLC skated in and then they went at it.Either way Simmonds should have been tossed for 3rd man in.Wilson also had a chance to really clean Schenn's clock when he was down tangled up with Beagle I think it was but waited for him to get up and dance.Surprised Simmonds wasn't tossed for third man in. Not condoning what he did, but if Erskine wanted to fight he should've taken on Simmonds and not the lighter weight VLC. That's probably why Simmonds flipped out on him. Why did they get the game misconducts? Didn't hear a reason for that yet.I'm a fan of how Wayne Simmonds plays but that was a huge ##### move last night holding Erskine while VLC was attempting to fight him and gave him a free shot.
Great defensive effort from both teams in a very entertaining game.One of those two doesn't fit
VLC can throw when he wants to so it's not like he's helpless against Erskine but he clearly would have lost no matter what he did.
RUSF18
Footballguy
Just seen comments from Dreger on Twitter announcing it, and I'm guessing articles will come out with more detail. He said that other teams are upset with the decision. I'm not sure what mechanism is in place that would allow for their input/sign off or if it is strictly a corporate-level decision.
RUSF18
Footballguy
If fighting is ever actually outlawed in the NHL, they should make the players actually dance to resolve disputes.It looked like Erskine was asking Simmonds to dance a few seconds before VLC skated in and then they went at it.Either way Simmonds should have been tossed for 3rd man in.Wilson also had a chance to really clean Schenn's clock when he was down tangled up with Beagle I think it was but waited for him to get up and dance.Surprised Simmonds wasn't tossed for third man in. Not condoning what he did, but if Erskine wanted to fight he should've taken on Simmonds and not the lighter weight VLC. That's probably why Simmonds flipped out on him. Why did they get the game misconducts? Didn't hear a reason for that yet.I'm a fan of how Wayne Simmonds plays but that was a huge ##### move last night holding Erskine while VLC was attempting to fight him and gave him a free shot.
Great defensive effort from both teams in a very entertaining game.One of those two doesn't fit
VLC can throw when he wants to so it's not like he's helpless against Erskine but he clearly would have lost no matter what he did.
surprised the Avs giving up a 2nd round pick for a pending UFA in Reto Berra didn't get more attention. seemed like a weird move.
http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_25288590/reto-berra-acquisition-by-avs-adds-depth-insurance
kind of expensive for a 3rd stringer
http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/ci_25288590/reto-berra-acquisition-by-avs-adds-depth-insurance
kind of expensive for a 3rd stringer
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Time Kibitzer
Footballguy
Yeah definitely a steep price to pay for a guy who hasn't had much of any success in North America. And he's not exactly young for a prospect at 27.
Doctor Detroit
Please remove your headgear
He was on DC 101 this morning (which surprised me) talking about Erat and Halak. He was saying that the trade with Buffalo was more about getting Neuvirth where he wanted to go, and less about Halak. He didn't seem all that excited about Halak.tom22406 said:The GMGM quote of the year
McPhail
No,sir,you play a system that blows.
ffldrew
Footballguy
I guess they see something they can work with - Francois can make miracles happen. I guess it is the feeling that a late #2 in this draft is not that bad as the "experts" are saying it is a weak class. I still would rather have a #2 to try and work with but Burke was saying he wouldn't take anything later for the guy. Maybe he learned a secret or two from Hiller . This Front office seems to place some different values on the draft than most - couple that with the fact that all this young talent is here and how would we fit another forward into the mix salary wise in a few years.I do know Giugure is complaining of back issues and he wasn't all that hot against the Kings last week.Time Kibitzer said:
would have been kind of cool to see Brodeur play under Roy and on the same team as Giguere.
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Time Kibitzer
Footballguy
Yeah he definitely has something to work with, Berra's huge and always seems to play fantastically for Switzerland internationally, but still seems like quite an expensive payment all things considered.
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ItsOnlytheRiver
Footballguy
Halak is trending down. Way down.He was on DC 101 this morning (which surprised me) talking about Erat and Halak. He was saying that the trade with Buffalo was more about getting Neuvirth where he wanted to go, and less about Halak. He didn't seem all that excited about Halak.tom22406 said:The GMGM quote of the year
McPhail
No,sir,you play a system that blows.
Brady Marino
Footballguy
He's still very talented, but for whatever reason, he's so chronically up and down and it's not even game by game, it's period by period. He literally is the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde of goalies.Halak is trending down. Way down.He was on DC 101 this morning (which surprised me) talking about Erat and Halak. He was saying that the trade with Buffalo was more about getting Neuvirth where he wanted to go, and less about Halak. He didn't seem all that excited about Halak.tom22406 said:The GMGM quote of the year
McPhail
No,sir,you play a system that blows.
So Blues fans went from blaming Elliott, to trashing Halak? How long until Miller gets the blame for a loss?
Brady Marino
Footballguy
I just call them like I see them. There's a reason he was hot potatoed this week.
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ItsOnlytheRiver
Footballguy
I didn't blame him. He was ok here for the most part aside from always being hurt come playoff time. But when you get benched for a KHLer, traded twice in a few days and end up in a place where the GM is just kind of like "whatever" ... you are trending down. He's looking at a best case scenario being in a battle for a starting job next season, but most likely a back up role unless he does something special in Washington. Europe may start looking pretty desirable.
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